New Poll on Puerto Rico Governor Race

A new poll conducted by ASISA Research Group and reported on the El Vocero website has Governor Luis Fortuno pulling ahead of challenger Alejandro García Padilla by more than five percentage points:

Fortuno: 44.5%

Padilla: 39%

Undecided: 9%

Dalmau: 3.2%

Other candidates: <1% each

These results represent an increase of 11.5% for Fortuno since the last poll conducted by the company in July.

Fortuno is the leader of the New Progressive Party (NPP), which favors statehood for Puerto Rico. Padilla represents the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), commonly called the Commonwealth Party. Juan Dalmau is running for governor as candidate for the Independence Party. The survey did not report preferences on the broader question of Puerto Rico’s prefered political status, which will also be on the ballot in November.

The poll found that 31% of respondents consider Puerto Rico to be moving in the right direction, and increase of 11.4% since the July survey.

Asked about the issues that are of greatest concern to them in the upcoming election, respondents named crime, unemployment, lack of economic growth, and drug trafficking. ASISA conducted interviews with respondents in 41 communities in Puerto Rico. ASISA is a research company based in the Dominican Republic that also has a presence in Florida.